Above the Smokestacks
by katierosefun
Summary: Right before everything ends, Ahsoka and Anakin have one normal night. [Friendship fluff.]


I may or may not have written this while I was half-dead with sleep-exhaustion but _whatever_ \- it's been way too long since I've last really written about Anakin and Ahsoka. (And God knows I needed to do that.)

Enjoy!

* * *

 _Above the Smokestacks_

"When are we supposed to be investigating the bombing again?" Ahsoka asked tiredly, falling into her bed. She didn't even bother moving the covers to put it over her. She only kicked off her boots, narrowly missing Anakin in the process. (Actually, Ahsoka was pretty sure she _did_ hear her boots hitting Anakin. But still. He didn't say anything, so it was probably fine. Probably. Whatever. She was tired.)

"Tomorrow morning, first thing," came Anakin's equally-sleepy sounding response. Ahsoka heard the creak of a mattress as he flung himself down into it – and after a solid two and a half minutes, there was nothing but the sounds of their deep and worn breathing.

"I'm too tired to even say anything," Ahsoka mumbled at least.

"I'm too tired to even sleep."

"I'm too tired to even breathe."

"Liar. You're breathing right now."

"Exaggeration. Ever heard of it?"

"Don't get snippy."

Despite herself, Ahsoka felt her lips tug into a grin. She hadn't heard _that_ one in a while, and they both knew it. If anything, Anakin hadn't used that comment since Ahsoka was still a fresh Padawan – and while it had brought Ahsoka nothing but annoyance when she was younger, she didn't mind it too much now. There was something incredibly nostalgic and comfortable about the teasing words now, something that reminded Ahsoka that in the end, things were just the same between the two of them. (Even if there had been a bomb, and the whole world had gone to hell. As always.)

"I'm going to fall asleep… _now_ ," Ahsoka said after some time.

"That's a good idea."

"Mm-hm." Ahsoka stuffed her face into her pillow and indeed waited for sleep to come – only when it didn't, she groaned and propped herself back up on her elbows. She cast a sideway glance at across the room, where Anakin had also pushed a pillow over his head. Ahsoka waited only for a few seconds before saying almost accusingly, "You're not sleeping, either."

"I can't. I'm trying. As should you. We've got an early day tomorrow."

"You're a hypocrite."

"What else is new?"

Ahsoka groaned loudly again, kicking up her blankets. "I don't get it," she griped. "I _want_ to sleep."

"Count to one hundred," Anakin sighed, rolling over on his side. His bright eyes seemed to gleam from under the dim light outside. If Ahsoka squinted hard enough, she could probably make out the exact shade of blue in her master's eyes, even if it was practically pitch black in the room.

"Does counting ever actually work?" Ahsoka asked doubtfully. "Because it never worked for me. It just makes it harder for me to fall asleep."

"Obi-Wan always told me to count to a hundred."

"…since when did you ever listen to Master Kenobi?"

"You know, Ahsoka, it's hard to keep a decent conversation with you when you keep bringing up those kinds of points to prove yourself right."

"It's kind of my job."

"Point taken."

Ahsoka snorted. And then she heard Anakin laughing faintly from across the room. The moment lasted a little longer between the two before the laughter died down, and they were back to doing nothing but concentrating on their own breathing and sleep-deprivation.

At last, Ahsoka swung her legs over her bunk. She tugged on her boots, saying, "This isn't going to work."

"What are you doing?" Anakin asked, sitting up.

"Out."

"Out?"

"Out." Ahsoka confirmed. She tossed on her cloak. "Walking around might make me feel tired…maybe even tired enough to actually get some sleep before tomorrow comes around." She flipped over her hood, and before she could leave the room, she added over her shoulder, "You're welcome to join me."

There was a pause.

Then, the bed just slightly groaning as Anakin shifted his weight, the older man mumbled something that vaguely sounded like, "Just give me a second."

So Ahsoka waited patiently as Anakin scrambled around to find his own cloak. It took a while – the room was a bit of a mess from Anakin's side, to be honest – but eventually, he was ready as well, his cloak hanging off him and his lightsaber swinging by his side. With a satisfied sweep of the room, Ahsoka pushed open the door.

The two headed off into the night, nothing more than matching flames of energy in the lull of Coruscant's night life.

xXx

They settled on a skyscraper that overlooked the Temple. The smokestacks still hung over the Temple like a cloud, and though Ahsoka hated looking at it, she couldn't tear her eyes away. Her legs swung over the skyscraper's edge, and while the night was warm, Ahsoka felt the urge to tug her cloak closer to herself. There was a sulfuric smell in the air – one that she figured was associated with the bomb – and even still, she could hear the distant thrum of alarms in different parts of the planet.

"I still can't believe someone would do this to the Temple," Ahsoka said at last.

"You're still thinking about it."

"Of course I am." Ahsoka bit down on her lip. "I'm worried about what we're going to find tomorrow."

"We'll just have to prepare for the worst," Anakin replied.

Ahsoka quieted. She nodded soundlessly before turning back to the Temple. She brought her legs up to herself, and as a wind brushed past her, she shivered again. She had thought walking around the city would tire her down, but if anything, seeing the Temple had only woken her up a little more. There was something almost haunting about the structure now, with its black plumes of smoke and empty-looking rooms. (Even though Ahsoka knew that the Temple was still very much alive with other younglings and masters and apprentices, she couldn't help but feel as though she was staring at a husk of something that used to be much more alive. Much more _there_.)

"I can feel your worry," Anakin said quietly, and Ahsoka felt his eyes train on her. " _Hey_. It's going to be fine. Whatever happens, we'll fix it." Ahsoka looked over at her master, who was giving her the smallest of smiles. One of his _we're-about-to-win_ smiles. And despite the fact that her chest still felt tight, Ahsoka managed a nod.

"Of course we will," Ahsoka replied. She turned back to the Temple. "I just can't help but feel like…something's going to happen." Her words faltered. _The beginning of an end,_ she felt like adding. She felt another chill shoot up her spine. She couldn't place where the feeling was coming from, and yet, it was so _there._

Ahsoka waited for Anakin's response.

And finally, he said, "Let's just watch the sunrise."

So they did just that.

And Ahsoka pretended that she hadn't thought of endings at all.

* * *

 **A/N -** Yesterday, I actually took a personal day off of school because of the stress. And wrote this thing. So. (School is hard, track practice has been getting to me, and the future awaits. I wish we could go back to the days where our biggest worries were whether or not Ahsoka and Anakin would save the day or not.)

Reviews would be great. Constructive criticism is okay, but flames are not.


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